The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-10-27
JACKSON OHIO. THURSDAY. OCTOBER ~, 1887

applicable to counties, townships, anC
cities, with the Sunday regulations o.
beer and native wine left out.
The obstacle to which [ refer i;
third party candidates. In counties
where the two great parties are almost
equally divided, if third party ticket
is run, it draws from the party which
contains the great body Of temperance
strength a sufficient number Of votes
to elect men from the party Of which
there is no hope of temperance legis-
lation--the party which rarely fails
to denounce all ''sumptuary legisla-
ton" Tt was that state Of facts that
rendered it impossible for the last
Legislature Of Ohio to enact a local
option law.
A year ago [ was solicited to assist
in circulating petitions to the Legis-
ture praying for the enactment of
such a law, which I readily consented
to do. But first my curiosity led me
to make an examination as to the
political character Of the Legislature,
that I might have some light as to
the reasonable prospect Of the passage
of local option law. To my aston
ishment [ found that there were six
members of the House of Representa-
tives who, from political association,
would doubtless vote against such a
bill, who were elected because Of a
third party ticket in each Of said
counties; and that in the absence of
such third party ticket six men would
have been elected who would have
voted for a local option law. And
this loss Of six votes would doubtless
defeat the passage of such law. And
now. that there may be no quibbling
about this matter, I propose to give
my authority.
By referring to the "Ohio Statis-
ties of 1885, published by authority
of the Legislature, find the following
statement, on pages 800, 391, ETC.,
showing the small Democratic plural
tiles by which the six members were
elected in the different counties, and
also showing the larger third party
vote:
Clermont County. Democratic plurality. 20
Prohibition vote 3O7
Iypnx na,a OF
6 Prohibition vote -. :. ............ 257
Morrow County, Democratic plurality 10Y
Prohibition vote. ................ 255
Stark County, Democratic plurality. $50
l. Prohibition vote..................... 5s4
Wayne County, Democratic plurality .......... 32e
Prohibition vote. 594
Thus it appears that by running
third party ticket in each of these
counties, the great body Of its voters
being drawn from the Republican
party, six members OF the House of
Representatives were elected, who
were opposed to local option: where
as, in the absence Of such third party
ticket, six members would have been
elected who would have cast six votes
in favor Of local option bill, and the
bill would have passed the House, and
with the concurrence of the Senate,
would have become law.
Now a captious person may ask:
"Why do you assume that the body
Of the third party were formerly con-
nected with the Republican party, as
above stated" I answer, it is a fact
patent to the observation of all, and
admitted by all except the unwilling.
| will give one example of actual
count. At third party convention
held q few weeks since at Syracuse,
N. Y, a count was made of the for
mer political associations Of the mem
bers of the convention. There were
800 members, and they stood in the
proportion of 9 to 2. In other words,
646 had been Republicans and 154
had been drawn from the Democratic
party Another case shows a still
greater discrepancy. In the Ohio
House Of Representatives Of 1880, a
very strong effort was made for the
passage of local option bill. When
it came to vote, there were 55 votes
in favor Of the passage Of the bill
lacking but three votes Of passage
and Of these SIS votes. 81 were Repub-
licans and We're Democrats.
But extreme third party men will
say: 1--WE want no local option. We
will accept nothing short of constitu-
tional prohibition-that or nothing"
But you cannot get constitutional
prohibition for years, il ever, by your
methods; you can get local option all
over the State, in a few months, if all
join hands in the work, And the cool
est and most competent judges are of
the opinion that local option is the
surest and quickest road to constitu-
tional prohibition. Then look at the
work that local option is doing else
wherein Georgia for example. Lo-
cal option is ali the prohibition that
Georgia has, and the attention of the
whole country is drawn TO that State,
in admiration of the work doing and
done in the suppression Of the liquor
traffic.
Then let us have local option now,
and constitutional prohibition when
we can get it. Let US not adopt the
sluggard policy of doing nothing be-
cause we cannot do everything at
once But let us give damaging blows
to the enemy-the saloon-by every